NCDOT Awards $3.6 Million for N.C. 150 Bridge Preservation Work Over Lake Norman

Thursday, December 06, 2012

RALEIGH
—N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary
Gene Conti awarded a contract to preserve the N.C. 150 bridge over Lake Norman at
the Catawba and Iredell County line.

The
$3.6 million contract was awarded to American Bridge Company of Coraopolis, Pa. This project is part of the NCDOT’s $430 million bridge plan for 2011-12,
which calls for preservation, repairs or replacement of 450 bridges statewide.

The
work will include removing some of the deck and replacing it with a latex modified
concrete overlay, as well as cleaning and painting structural steel and
bearings. The latex modified concrete will reduce infiltration of water and
salt below the roadway surface, extend the life of the pavement longer than
regular concrete, and improve the ride quality for motorists. It also sets and
hardens faster, allowing for a quicker re-opening of the bridge lanes than
typical concrete, which is important on a heavily-traveled road such as N.C.
150.

This
project will extend the life of the bridge at a cost significantly lower than
continually repairing or even replacing it. The work will also minimize the
frequency of future maintenance on the bridge, which will mean less disruption
to traffic in the area.

The
work can start between April 1, 2013 and June 1, 2013 and must be completed 360
days after the starting date. Traffic will be maintained onsite with occasional
lane closures only at night.

This
was one of 22 contracts totaling $67.1 million awarded by Conti in November for
highway and bridge projects across North Carolina. NCDOT awarded the contracts
to the lowest bidders, as required by state law. The bids received on the
projects awarded came in about 6.2 percent, or $4.5 million, below NCDOT
estimates.

Since
Gov. Bev Perdue took office in January of 2009, NCDOT has awarded 749 highway
contracts totaling $5.1 billion to ensure that all North Carolinians have
access to jobs and educational opportunities. Gov. Perdue continues to support
immediate jobs in the construction sector and the goal of ensuring that our
transportation network facilitates access to jobs, education and healthcare for
the future.